


keeping it real

by lavenderet



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Canon, Team Bonding, kind of. you'll see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21750280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderet/pseuds/lavenderet
Summary: “Bye, Lio.” Galo leans forward, and pecks Lio on the lips.Varys spills his soda.Lio, impervious to the interruption, kisses Galo back, but the contact doesn’t last for long as each and every one of the members at the table loses their shit.“What?”Aina explodes.“Oh my god,” Lucia murmurs.Remi wipes his glasses furiously, puts them back on as if it will dispel the illusion, but no— Galo’s hand is still at Lio’s waist, their faces inches apart, though Lio’s expression has soured considerably.“What?” Galo says. “Can’t a guy kiss his best friend goodbye?”“Hisbest friend?”Aina screeches, just as Lucia repeats, a little more loudly, “Oh mygod.”In which everyone but Galo and Lio seem to think that they're dating, and it’s becoming increasingly harder for the Burning Rescue team to watch.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 72
Kudos: 1028





	keeping it real

**Author's Note:**

> i watched promare redux around two weeks ago and wrote this on pure adrenaline. i can't even relive the movie until it comes out on blu-ray months from now. please send help

It’s Aina who brings it up first. “Don’t you think Galo and Lio are, like, pretty close?” she asks, voice conspiratorially low. It’s downtime at the station, and the Burning Rescue members are scattered about the common room: Lucia at her monitor, cackling to herself; Ignis and Remi rifling through files on the couch; Varys on the seat across, scrolling through his phone with Aina, who has abandoned her own to gossip; and finally, Galo and Lio, a noticeable distance away from the main group, chatting about something or other. 

It’s this that causes Aina’s statement to plant its roots, and Remi offers a noncommittal grunt in return. “What makes you say that?” he says, as if it’s not glaringly obvious.

Aina looks askance. “Just watch! It’s not normal at all,” and here, she nudges Remi with a foot, gesturing in the direction of Galo and Lio. They seem blissfully unaware of the attention they’re gathering, Lucia and Varys and even Ignis glancing up from their work to observe the scene, and yes— Galo and Lio _are_ close, physically close, the kind Lio never dares with anyone unless absolutely necessary. And maybe this is necessary, but it’s not like either of them can tell. They’re out of earshot, after all. 

It certainly doesn’t _seem_ necessary. They’re just talking normally, Galo gesturing with a ferocity reserved only for retellings of his wildest rescues, and Lio is listening intently. It’s a miracle Galo hasn’t knocked Lio’s head clean off with how passionately his hands are moving, but Lio doesn’t seem to mind— in fact, he’s leaning even _closer,_ the beginnings of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. 

“Huh,” Remi says quietly.

“Wow,” Lucia agrees.

Unbidden, they keep watch for half a minute more: Galo’s hand on Lio’s shoulder, Lio’s chest rumbling with laughter— laughter? Lio can _laugh?_ — Galo tilting his head to say something in Lio’s ear. It’s all very excessive, even for Galo, and yet there’s no doubt that his intentions are sincere. 

“Has Galo ever made that face before?” Lucia asks dubiously, and Remi makes a disgruntled noise.

“There’s no way that whatever Galo is saying is _that_ interesting.”

“… Regardless, it’s nice to see that Lio is making himself at home here,” Ignis says, ever the sensible one, and just like that the topic swivels. Varys mentions inviting Lio to one of their pizza escapades, and Lucia talks about a new robot model she wants to test with Lio. Soon, the actual subject of their observations is all but forgotten. Aina wants to paint Lio’s nails. Remi has questions about the Promare. 

By the time they remember that Lio is present and they can ask all these things in person, he and Galo are already gone, and so is Galo’s bike. “Next time, we can ask,” Aina promises.

Next time, unfortunately, is much worse.

* * *

“Geez, what happened to _you?”_ Varys asks as Galo and Lio trudge towards the lockers, Lio draped over Galo’s back and making the sourest face ever known to man. It could get its own bust in a museum.

“Lio burnt himself!” And Galo, against all common sense, waves the burnt hand in the air. Lio may or may not have winced, because he seems to be trying very hard not to make any expression at all, which is failing miserably. He looks like a scolded animal, or rather one of those captive tigers that accidentally fell into the pool at its enclosure and is just now realizing its embarrassing mistake. 

“You’re not a Burnish anymore, man,” Varys says with a click of his tongue, rooting around his locker for a first-aid kit. “Fire hurts you just like it hurts the rest of us. Remember that.” 

Lio hisses. “Don’t lecture me.”

“Hey.” Galo glares at Lio, who backs down with a snarl, then back at Varys, now sporting an unhappy frown. “C’mon, he’s sensitive to that kinda stuff,” he whispers. “Don’t be so damn harsh.”

He takes the first-aid kit from Varys and sets Lio down on the bench; against Galo’s superior strength, Lio goes like a rag doll. Varys doesn’t bother asking _how_ Lio got burnt, but it looks goddamn awful— spreading all the way up from his wrist to the skin above his knuckles. Like he stuck his whole hand in a fire and left it to cook there. 

Varys feels obligated to supervise, even with a trained professional already at hand, so he does. Maybe it’s guilt, or just innocent curiosity. Galo is talking Lio through his treatment, voice stern and thoroughly unamused, but it’s also softer than usual— so much so that Varys can barely decipher what he’s saying. It kind of creeps him out, to be honest.

Lio bites out something cruel in response, and— oh— those are _tears._ He’s crying. Varys suddenly gets the feeling that he’s intruding on something private, especially when Galo’s thumb reaches up to swipe under Lio’s eye, across his cheekbone; it’s the most outrageous thing he’s ever seen. Galo is not a tender man. He’s got a heart of gold, but he’ll proclaim it aloud first, with the kind of theatrics only _he_ could pull off. And yet, none of that is present now— and Varys is definitely, definitely intruding on something, here.

He spins on his heel, starts to make his way out the door when Galo calls out: “Hey, Varys?” And Varys turns around to see Galo’s arm slung over Lio’s shoulder, Lio’s head hung so low his face is completely out of view. “Could you get Lio a glass of water?”

Varys nods once. “Yeah, sure. Gimme a sec.”

He does what Galo asked, ignoring the odd, judgemental looks Aina sends his way while he does, and returns to Galo swaying Lio side-to-side, probably mumbling something ridiculous because of how Lio’s brows are scrunched together and he’s… smiling. What the _fuck._

“Oh,” Galo says, spotting Varys and still not stopping despite the interruption, “thanks, Varys!”

Lio also looks at him, albeit with a noticeably less friendly air than Galo’s. “Yeah, thanks.”

Varys just grunts, leaves the glass of water on a nearby table, and gets the hell out of there.

* * *

“Seriously,” Lucia says, crunching on a lollipop, “when did they get so buddy-buddy?”

It’s not like Remi never wonders. Though, if he had to hypothesize, it might have had something to do with the two-pilot mecha they battled Kray with (seriously, Galo _never stops talking about it)_ and post-battle, he saw that they shared a fist bump and since then, they were hardly ever apart. 

Evident now, where Lio and Galo enter the Burning Rescue station rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, one of Galo’s oversized uniform jackets draped over Lio’s slim figure. Lio usually spends the night at one of the ex-Burnish homes, preferring to stay close to his work, but other nights he sleeps over at Galo’s apartment and comes with him to the station to help finish any outstanding tasks. Without the threat of the Promare on the horizon, the Burning Rescue team is hardly ever busy; as a result, they’ve been more active in the rebuilding effort, and especially in advocacy for the ex-Burnish population. 

Which is _not_ the point. The point is that Lio is wearing Galo’s clothes and neither seems particularly bothered by it. Lucia lets out a low whistle, tapping something on her keyboard, and Galo comes by and slaps Remi hard on the shoulder. “Morning, Remi!” 

“Good morning…” He squints at Galo, but he’s as normal as ever. Not a hair out of place, the skin of his neck and lower spotless, though he _is_ wearing a shirt. So did he or did he not get busy last night? “You seem like you’re in a good mood.”

“Hell yeah! I’m ready to put out some wildfires today, baby!” 

“ _If_ there are any at all,” Lio retorts smoothly, adjusting the jacket around his shoulders. It looks insanely big on him, like it intends to swallow him alive. “Come on, Galo. I have some files I would like to review.”

“That’s hardly a job for Galo,” Remi says, much to Galo’s chagrin.

“Hey, no one said I’d be reading ‘em! I’ll just give Lio moral support.”

Lucia grins, jabbing her lollipop stick in Lio’s direction. “Y’know, Galo’s moral support skills are the best in the world. He’s got a real way with people.”

Lio mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like “I know” before stalking towards Ignis’s office, where most of their paperwork is stored these days. Galo doesn’t follow, just plops himself down on the couch and kicks his feet up on the coffee table. Remi and Lucia both watch as he tries to remove some food from between his teeth with his pinky. Remi kind of wants to gag.

“So… you and Lio, huh?” he says, taking a seat across from Galo. 

Galo spits something off to the side. “Yeah, what about us?”

“You seem…” He has no idea how to phrase this. “… Pretty close.”

“You didn’t tell us you were dating,” Lucia says, and Galo blinks once, twice.

All of a sudden, he breaks out into laughter, so deep into his mirth that he actually slaps the couch a little. _“Me and Lio?_ C’mon man, you know we’re just buds! Also, me with someone like him? I’d sooner date the pizza guy!”

“You would date him for the pizza anyways,” Remi points out, and Galo hums in thought. 

“You know what? Actually—”

“Can we get to work, Galo?” Lio interrupts, emerging from the office with a stack of manila folders. He narrows his eyes when he notices the weird tension in the room, Lucia returning to her computer with a questionable haste and Remi busying himself with cleaning his glasses. He chooses better than to address it, though, settling next to Galo and opening the first folder.

“Let’s do it,” Galo says. “What’s in that thing you’re holding?” 

“It’s a summary of all of the expenses for the Burnish homes. There’s also the budget; we need to allocate the funds to the necessary programs…”

“Copy that, boss.”

“Boss?” Lucia repeats.

 _“Boss?”_ Remi echoes, with much more disbelief.

But Galo and Lio are in their own world, discussing things Remi never imagined Galo would put any stock in, and Lio actually seems to be listening to his suggestions, outlandish as they are. He wonders if Galo feels some sense of duty, having contributed to the rescue of the Burnish and consequent burning of the world, the departure of the Promare. That’s got to leave some kind of weight on a guy’s shoulders.

For a fleeting moment, Remi feels a flash of appreciation for Galo; he is truly a protector of the people, a hero in his own right. It’s no wonder Lio relies on him. Why Ignis was so intent on keeping him around that first day, when all of the others doubted him. 

Remi decides to leave Lio and Galo to it, heading for his own office to check his mail, run through whatever errands are pinned on the corkboard by the desk. By the time he returns for dinner, Lio is glued to Galo’s side, half of his face smashed against Galo’s shoulder with one of Galo’s arms on Lio’s waist, the other thrown over the couch, Galo’s head tipped back as he snores openly.

Remi is dumbfounded. “I found them like this seven hours later,” Lucia speaks up, Remi breaking out of his daze to glare disapprovingly at her.

“You didn’t look away from your computer for _seven hours?”_

“The Internet is a dark, manipulative place,” Lucia says, wriggling her fingers, then continues, “You probably shouldn’t wake them up. They’ve been at it all day. Also, I like when Galo doesn’t talk for a while.”

Remi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, but he lets it be. Lio doesn’t seem to have a day of rest, and by extension, neither does Galo— so it’s only fair that they sneak in a nap where they can. Even if that’s on the common room’s sorry excuse for a couch. 

“Hey, vice-cap, move to the side a bit,” Lucia says, completely seriously, and Remi does. Then she takes out her phone and snaps a pic of the sleeping couple on the couch.

“I’m going to send this to Aina,” she explains, when Remi shoots her an incredulous look.

“Of course you are…”

* * *

Just like he promised, Varys invites Lio to their next pizza outing. Shockingly— or maybe not-so-shockingly— Lio accepts. He tags along with Galo on Galo’s bike, sits next to Galo when they find a table on the patio big enough for the seven of them, pretends he doesn’t see when Galo steals a slice off of his plate. He’s quiet, but civil; he even snorts a little when Varys and Lucia argue about one of her failed machines.

Aina watches this all unfold with a smile on her face. Lio’s enjoying himself, which means they’re doing something right. He even begins a conversation himself— something about the Burnish, since all he ever talks about these days is the Burnish, though that’s hardly a problem. It’s to be expected, with how flush his schedule is with meetings and reports about nothing but. 

“… And the children have really taken to Galo,” Lio is saying, wiping the excess cheese from his chin with a gloved finger. “There’s rarely a moment where they’re apart. Most of the mothers leave their children with him to babysit while they work.”

“Of course the children love me— everyone does!” Galo brags with a flex of one arm, then the other. “They’re like fireflies to a flame when it comes to me!”

“You’re thinking of moths, Galo,” Remi corrects.

“I’m thinking of what?”

Lucia snickers. “They’re probably just attracted to his incredible stupidity.” She flicks an olive in Galo’s direction, probably just to further his humiliation, but it strays from its path and lands a solid hit on Lio’s nose instead. “Oops.”

Everyone holds their breath, awaiting the inevitable explosion— but all Lio does is pick the olive up and pop it into his mouth. Immediately, all the tension releases. “You guys are so cruel,” Galo says, slumping his shoulders defeatedly. “It takes a lot more brains than you think to deal with children! They ask so many damn questions. Not to mention they’re _way_ more violent than Lio here.”

Lio scowls, but doesn’t argue. He does, however, aim a none-too-gentle elbow directly into Galo’s ribs, smirking at Galo’s pained yelp. “In any case,” he says, “Galo has been a great help. I apologize for eating up so much of his time. I promise, as soon as I set the housing situation to rights—” 

“It’s fine, Lio.” Ignis offers a smile, or what could be called a smile with all that mustache. “What Galo has been doing is important to Burning Rescue as well.”

“Right!” Aina chirps. “Uh, what exactly do you do, aside from entertain children?”

“I also teach them, of course!” Galo announces proudly.

“Oh yeah? What do you teach them?” Varys asks.

A pause on Galo’s side. “Oh, you know.”

“… You give presentations on the matoi, don’t you?”

Lio sighs. “He gives presentation on the matoi.”

Galo’s protests are drowned out by the table’s laughter, tempered only by the odd looks the passerby give them when Galo slams his hands down onto the table. “Those children will be future Burning Rescue members, I know it!” Galo bellows, a determined fire in his eyes. “I have to prepare them for the future!”

“Hate to burst your bubble,” Aina says, “but I’m pretty sure the matoi are only relevant to you.”

Galo shakes his head emphatically. “Not anymore! From now on, each of the new Burning Rescue members will get their own personal Matoi-Tech—”

“—I’m sorry, _when_ did I agree to this?” Lucia bursts.

“—so that they can follow my example when they get on the field! Come on, Lucia, do it for the children. They all want to be like their cool older brother Galo.”

Remi’s face suddenly takes on a look of dire constipation. “Galo… I don’t exactly recall you being a role model of any sort, let alone a trainer…”

Before Galo can run his mouth any further, Lio intervenes: “Galo is very adamant that the kids consider firefighting in the future.” He sweeps his gaze over the table, landing finally on a beaming Galo, where it lingers. “He says that Burning Rescue is the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and wants them to experience the joys of rescuing others, too. Although I worry about the risk level of the job, what you all do is very… admirable.” He lowers his head. “I wasn’t very receptive to you before. For that, I apologize.”

Aina is at a genuine loss. The others, too, don’t seem to know what to say. But then Galo tugs Lio to his side in a one-armed hug and proclaims, “Aw, Lio! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were volunteering to join us! What, did you want your own Matoi-Tech, too?”

Lio flushes. “I said nothing of the sort.” But he isn’t pushing him away.

Varys beams, and, emboldened by the gesture, claps Lio on the back. “Well, hey— if you ever change your mind, you’re welcome to join at any time!”

“Yeah, definitely!” Aina chimes in. “We need someone to set Galo straight sometimes, y’know?”

Lio’s flush seems to be getting worse. It’s a fascinating sight: his shoulders hunched, lips drawn in a subtle pout, the tips of his ears as red as the FDPP’s uniform pants. And Galo isn’t making it any better, his fingers clutched tight at Lio’s waist like they don’t want to be anywhere else. Aina, herself, feels a blush growing at what she sees, unsure if she should be seeing it at all.

And then, the spell breaks— Lio’s phone shrilling a peppy tone unfit for a guy who wears exclusively black leather. Lio curses under his breath, unlocking his phone to check the text. “Sorry, guys,” he mutters. “One of the support groups needs me at the Burnish homes.” He turns to Galo. “Will you be okay?”

Galo shrugs one shoulder, grinning smug and wide. “Sure, why not? I got all my crew here.”

Lio nods briskly. “Then, I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Lio.” Galo leans forward, and pecks Lio on the lips.

Varys spills his soda.

Lio, impervious to the interruption, kisses Galo back, but the contact doesn’t last for long as each and every one of the members at the table loses their shit.

“ _What?”_ Aina explodes.

“Oh my god,” Lucia murmurs.

Remi wipes his glasses furiously, puts them back on as if it will dispel the illusion, but no— Galo’s hand is still at Lio’s waist, their faces inches apart, though Lio’s expression has soured considerably. 

“What?” Galo says. “Can’t a guy kiss his best friend goodbye?”

“His _best friend?”_ Aina screeches, just as Lucia repeats, a little more loudly, “Oh my _god.”_

Lio seems remarkably unfazed, like this is something he’s used to, and says, “Don’t be immature. Galo and I are very close.” As if _that’s_ a sufficient explanation for everything that’s happened these past few months. Close— how close is _close_ that you can kiss someone on the mouth for longer than three seconds and still call them your “best friend”? But before Aina can interrogate him about it, Lio is already off and starting Galo’s bike, throwing a leg over it and speeding into the distance.

Varys blinks after him, still stunned. “He… He took your motorcycle.”

Galo nods. “Yup.”

“He can do that?”

Another nod. “I mean, he didn’t ask, but I would’ve let him do it anyway.”

Aina slams her head down onto the table.

* * *

It’s another late night at the station, and Lucia is burning the candle at both ends. Every night at the station is a late night for her anyways, and most of her gadgets aren’t back at her place— hence her position now, glued to her seat by the monitor with the remnants of her dinner still scattered about. But she’s finished drafting the newest upgrade on the matoi and the materials won’t ship until the next morning, so she finds herself at leisure, at least for the next hour or so before Ignis discovers she’s here and shoos her home. 

Not that she’s alone. She flicks through the security camera footage on her screen, checking up on the others: Remi making himself some coffee in the kitchen, Varys nearby, eating a burrito, and Aina focused on repairs by her hovercraft. Lucia can’t see Ignis (there are no cameras inside the offices, for privacy’s sake) but she can tell he’s still here, too. The only one she can’t seem to find is Galo.

Usually, by this time, he would have left; the only thing is, Lucia didn’t see him go. He _always_ announces his departure, in the spirit of courtesy and also self-centeredness— but he’s been silent for hours, and that’s cause for concern. She sifts through the cameras again, expecting to find a glimpse of blue hair, but it’s not what she finds first. What she finds is a flash of mint-green instead.

Lucia’s brows shoot up her head. Was Lio… always here? Come to think of it, she _does_ remember speaking to him recently, but she can’t remember if that was yesterday or the day before yesterday or some memory she fabricated unknowingly. She zooms in on Lio’s head, completely unmoving; he’s by the bunks, partially hidden by some of the shelves. How inconvenient.

Switching the cameras, Lucia gets a better angle of him, this time of his tense profile. All of a sudden, she sees _him_ — sees Galo. He’s crouched on the floor, fiddling with the laces of Lio’s boots. Lucia has no idea where this is going, even considers tabbing out of the window to save herself the impending trauma, but all Galo does is gently remove his boots and have him sit on the bed. 

Surely this isn’t going any further. Everyone knows the bunks are monitored for safety, and are for sleeping purposes only. Galo _has_ to know this, too. So Lucia looks on as he flops down on the spot next to Lio and gathers him into his arms.

Silence. Lucia holds her breath. They’re no longer moving, no longer speaking, just basking in each other’s company. Lio breathes deep, tucks himself into Galo’s side, and Galo moves his hand to play with the strands of Lio’s hair. 

All of a sudden, Galo’s voice filters in, slightly staticky due to the camera’s quality. “I’m hungry.”

Lio shoves his shoulder, making a muffled grunt. “Then go eat.”

Still, yet, neither move. Lucia snorts a little to herself, then nudges Vinny on her lap.

“Oi, Vinny. Bring Galo this,” she says, handing him her unopened bag of chips. Vinny sniffs it, seems to contemplate eating it himself, but places it carefully in his mouth instead and hops toward the bunks. Lucia exits out of the footage and kicks her feet up on the console, whistling idly.

Eventually, there’s the sound of footfall, approaching from the direction of the garage. “Lucia. You’re still here,” Aina calls, running a hand through her sweaty bangs. Lucia holds her hand up in greeting.

“Yo.”

Aina comes up behind her, peeks wordlessly at her monitor. After a moment, she says, “Spying on our comrades, huh?”

Lucia waves her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing special, anyway.” The footage she pulled up of Remi and Varys is still there, though Remi is doing crossword puzzles on the kitchen counter while Varys has moved toward the station’s makeshift gym. Lucia suddenly remembers Galo and Lio’s presence in the bunks and, in a brief bout of mischief, opens the window for the bunk room’s camera.

“Hold on— is that _Lio?”_ Aina gasps, planting a hand on the console.

Lucia hums. Lio’s head is now resting on Galo’s chest, both munching on the bag of chips Vinny successfully refrained from eating during its delivery. “Looks like they’re enjoying the treat I gave them,” she says with a snicker, minimizing the window again.

“Wait, don’t close it! I want to see.”

Lucia gives her a flat look. “Trust me, you don’t.”

“You don’t think they’re going to…” Aina glows bright red. “Y-You know?”

“… Um, no. But let’s not take any chances.”

Aina sighs, hopping up onto the part of the console where Lucia’s leftovers aren’t splayed over. “I still don’t believe that they’re not dating. But why would Galo lie about it? Even Lio isn’t in the know. Did you see the way he reacted to the kiss that one time at lunch? It’s so… so…”

Lucia folds her arms behind her head. “So?”

“I don’t know!” Aina pouts. “It’s just— hard to watch. They’re so obvious together, even Vinny would pick up the signs. And Vinny is a _rat.”_

Lucia sighs. “I agree with that much.” She gestures vaguely at the monitor, though the footage of Galo and Lio is long gone by now: “Still, who cares? If they’re happy like that, let them stay like that. Not my problem. What matters to _me_ is that Lio joins Burning Rescue so he can test the Rescue Gear I made him.”

Aina gives her a long, hard stare. “You made Lio Rescue Gear… not knowing he would join us?”

“Oh, please.” Lucia blows a raspberry. “Even Remi says his chances of joining are 90%. Do you really think Lio would dodge the opportunity to spend twice as much time with Galo, if given the chance?”

“… Good point.” She pats Lucia on the shoulder, then turns abruptly, jumping to her feet. “Well, enough of that. I better get going. Heris will think something bad happened and commit murder if I don’t return within another hour.” At the thought, she shudders, her expression turning pale as sheet. “Anyways! I’ll be seeing you, Lucia.”

“Bye-bye,” Lucia says, and, once Aina is gone, kicks out of her seat and heads for the bunks. 

Galo is still awake by the time she arrives, but Lio, to her disappointment, is fast asleep. “Don’t wake him,” Galo says in a hushed voice, one of his hands fitted protectively over Lio’s own. Lio, himself, is curled up on the spot next to Galo, deeply asleep but brows furrowed like any sudden movement could rouse him. “He’s had a long day, so I made him take a nap, the stubborn bastard. Anyways, what are you doing here?”

Lucia huffs. “I wanted to ask Lio a favor. But whatever, I’ll do it tomorrow.” She takes a moment to absorb the scene before her, the distinct lack of Vinny, who has been absent ever since she sent him off to Galo. She thought he would have stuck around to have a sleepover with the two lovebirds, but ah, well. “What about you?”

“Me?” Galo scratches the side of his head. “It feels weird to just leave him here, so I’m sticking around. If that’s okay with the captain, of course.”

“Wow. You really care about him, huh?”

Galo flinches. “W-Well, of course I do! He’s my partner-in-crime! Or, partner-in-law? But we’re not lawyers… or even _in-laws…_ Agh, you get what I mean.” He rubs his free hand down his face, revealing a startlingly red blush, the likes of which Lucia has never seen on him before. “But if we keep talking any longer, he’s gonna wake up. So you better scatter or he’s going to blast us both for disturbing him.”

“Okay, okay.” Lucia glares at Lio’s sleeping form, which right now is akin to a slumbering beast. “Well… see ya, Galo.”

“Goodnight, Lucia.”

With an acknowledging nod, she slips out the door, but not before catching a glimpse of Galo sliding down to join Lio on the bed. She sees him wrap his arms around his waist, a soft embrace that belies his boldness, his power, and then the door clicks shut.

“Huh,” she says wonderingly, eyes cast to the ceiling. Then she shrugs. “Ah, whatever.”

* * *

Lio wakes to warmth, to strong arms linked across his waist and Galo’s hair in his mouth.

Lio spits it out and rolls away, or attempts to, but the grip on his waist is solid and he only succeeds in tightening it further. Muttering under his breath, he cranes his neck in search of a clock; the one on the wall reads 4:32 AM, a good three hours since he last remembers being awake.

Lio groans. He shouldn’t have let Galo convince him— there’s still so much _work_ to do, and every wasted minute is another Burnish child succumbing to starvation, an elder falling ill due to lack of shelter. But for better or for worse, he _can’t_ _move—_ he grimaces at the sweat painting his body, Galo’s body heat impossibly consuming, rivaling that of the volcano he’d burst from— and somehow, absurdly, he finds that he doesn’t _want_ to move, wants to stay simmering in this warmth for as long as Galo will have him.

Galo must sense his restlessness, because he blinks one eye open and says, “Stop moving.”

Lio grunts, but stills obediently. “It’s too hot in here.”

“That’s my burning—”

“Don’t say it.” Lio presses a palm to his face, pulling away when Galo licks his fingers. “Gross!”

“Can’t you relax? Just for once?” Galo sounds displeased, his hands stroking up and down Lio’s back with a firm insistence. “I know that’s rich coming from me, but your vibes are atrocious.”

“What— what does that even mean?”

“It _means_ that it’s stressing me out that you’re stressed out and you need to take a goddamn break!”

Lio glowers. “I’m sorry if my problems are _inconveniencing_ you, but—”

“Dude. That’s not it.” Galo runs a hand through his hair, mouth twisted to the side as he reconsiders. “I just— you’re putting so much on yourself without confiding in me about it anymore. I thought we were supposed to be a team! Galo de Lion, remember? I just want to help, but you’re…” He gestures wildly, nearly slapping Lio in the face with the force of it. “You’re ignoring all of your problems and just making things worse for yourself! I feel useless, and you know how much I hate that.”

Lio catches the hand Galo is still waving in the air and lowers it, back to where it was settled comfortably on Lio’s waist. “Galo,” he breathes, then shakes his head once. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” He casts his gaze to the side, intending to avoid Galo’s anguished eyes, but everywhere he looks, he can feel Galo there, filling the spaces in his blood and bones that the Promare left empty. “Look… the Burnish couldn’t afford to relax, back then. I was always on the run, always alert in case of an ambush.” A wry smile tugs at his lips. “I can’t remember a day that I was truly happy.”

Galo’s breath hitches. “Lio, that’s—”

“But, Galo,” Lio interrupts, squeezing his hand tighter, “ever since I’ve met you and Burning Rescue, I’ve experienced more joy than I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. So don’t call yourself useless.”

Galo opens his mouth, then closes it, sputtering like a fish out of water. “L-Lio…”

“And you saved me from death.” Lio’s eyes soften. “Isn’t that enough for you?”

“But it isn’t,” Galo insists. “It _isn’t_ enough for me. I don’t do things by halves! When I say I’m going to help you, I’m going to help you all the way!”

Lio's mouth feels suddenly dry. It’s true, Galo has been helpful in Lio’s operations thus far, perhaps to a fault— but that’s precisely why Lio stopped asking for help in the first place. This burden is his to bear; he’s still paying for his crimes, still giving the Burnish hope where there’s none. And Galo is… nice, but also something of a guilty pleasure. Something Lio doesn’t deserve, yet yearns for regardless.

“Stop thinking so much,” Galo scolds, flicking Lio on the forehead. Lio winces. “I’m going to help you whether you like it or not, so you better get used to it!”

Lio grumbles, “I’m already used to it. That’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I can’t have this forever,” Lio says, unable to help the strain in his voice. “You have so much ahead of you, and I have— nothing. I’ve lost everything. Being Burnish was all I ever knew. And now that that’s over—” 

“Hold on,” Galo cuts in, “hold on, hold on. You don’t have _nothing._ You have Guiera and Meis. You have a whole community that loves you! You have Burning Rescue, and you have me! Galo Thymos!” His gaze turns hard, the same fire Lio remembers seeing during their first battle returning to his eyes now. “We’ll be here for you wherever you go, and nothing’s gonna change that! You can count on that much.”

Lio sulks, but the fight is drained out of him, and his weary sigh betrays fondness. “Fine, fine. I couldn’t stop you even if I tried, Galo Thymos.” Feeling suddenly cheeky, he flutters his lashes and says, voice low, “You know one way you could help?”

Galo’s eyes sparkle. “Tell me!”

Lio crooks a finger toward him. “Come closer. I’ll tell you.”

Bemused, but willing, Galo shifts forward, and Lio makes a show of leaning towards his ear before he bypasses it and heads straight for his lips instead.

“Mmf—!” Galo’s yelp is muffled, Lio’s mouth sealed possessively over his own. There’s no struggle, only warmth and a pliant body beneath him, Galo’s hands fumbling with where to go before they clutch at the back of Lio’s shirt and tug him close, closer. It’s a kiss of life, a kiss of— what do you even call this feeling? Lio wants to name it, but he’s far too immersed in Galo’s taste, Galo’s heat, the tongue he slips in and rubs tentatively against Lio’s. 

“Lio,” Galo says, breathless as they pull away for air. He looks wild, flushed. Lio wants nothing more from him at the moment. “This isn’t— this isn’t like our other kisses, is it?”

Lio settles his full weight over Galo. “I think I like this better.”

But before Lio can lean in and continue where they left off, Galo shoots up, stopped only halfway due to Lio’s body on his: “Oh, crap, I forgot this room is monitored!”

Lio _really_ wishes he had his powers so he could blast the camera into ash instead. All he does, though, is take hold of the comforter and yank the bulk of it over their heads, sufficiently concealing them from prying eyes. “There. Now we can continue,” he says, tracing a finger up Galo’s throat, then to his lower lip. It’s a bit of a shame, the fact that he can’t _see_ Galo, but he has his scent, his voice, and— ah— his _touch_ , as Galo’s hands fit themselves perfectly on the curve of his hips, just beneath the hem of his shirt. His skin is like fire on Lio’s, and for a moment he can almost imagine the Promare blanketing him in their warmth, little sparks dancing over where they’ve made contact.

“Let’s stay together, Galo,” Lio whispers, kissing the breath from Galo’s lips. Galo clutches at him for dear life, like he’ll fade away if he doesn’t.

“Yeah.” He knocks his forehead against Lio’s. “Partners. I’ll be the best one you’ve ever had.”

Lio laughs. “The only one too, I think.” And then he’s enveloping Galo in a longer, harder kiss, the reason for his fears forgotten in an instant.

* * *

“Lucia, you’re still awake?”

Lucia curses under her breath, “Dang it. You caught me.”

Ignis surveys the room, finding no one but Lucia and himself, and says, “Is it just you?”

“Nope.” She pops the ‘p’ in the word, swivelling in her chair. “Galo and Lio are here too.”

That is, admittedly, a bit of a shock. Ignis is pretty firm on what hours the station is available for use, even though his crew seems to promptly ignore it most times, but not Galo. Lucia, as if reading his mind, says, “They’re in the bunks. But I wouldn’t check on them if I were you.”

Ignis stares at her.

Lucia stares back.

The silence stretches.

“… I think we should make good on that new uniform order,” Ignis says, and Lucia cackles, typing something rapidly on her keyboard.

“Right away, Captain!”

**Author's Note:**

> > (EPILOGUE)
>> 
>> “Congrats, Galo!” Varys says in passing, and Galo scratches his head, seeming lost. 
>> 
>> “Thanks, but uh… why am I being congratulated?” 
>> 
>> Varys now looks just as lost. “I heard from Lucia that you and Lio are dating… ?” he prods. 
>> 
>> Galo seems to blank out for a moment, expression flat, before he lets out an explosive laugh and slaps Varys on the back. “That’s hilarious! What gave you that idea?” 
>> 
>> Lucia spins around in her chair and gives him a stony look. “You two were literally making out yesterday.” 
>> 
>> Galo hums. “I guess we were. But we’re just like, really tight, y’know?” 
>> 
>> Varys spits out his drink. “Bro, _what?”_
> 
> thanks for reading! i've only watched promare once so i hope this fic was ok, i've been scavenging for pieces from the movie just to help me write this thing 
> 
> please leave comments and kudos if you enjoyed <3 for art and other stuff find me on twitter [@nonnecheri](https://twitter.com/nonnecheri)!


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